Brandon Kerne is the Chief of Operations for the AOC Wine Group in Texas where he oversees a trio of wine companies: Art of Cellaring (wine storage), AOC Selections (Retail/e-Commerce), and The Texas Wine School (Wine Education). Locations are in Houston and in San Antonio currently.
He passed the Master Sommelier exam in 2021. For five years beginning in 2015, Brandon was the lead sommelier at Pappas Bros Steakhouse in downtown Houston. The program received numerous accolades while he was a member of the team, including a James Beard nomination for Outstanding Wine Program and the Wine Spectator Grand Award. At Pappas, he worked with over 4,500 selections spanning vintages dating back over a century from regions all around the world. Brandon also coordinated the wine education programs at each of the Pappas Bros Steakhouse locations in Texas, and is passionate about wine education. Prior to living in Houston, he was a manager and wine director at both Bar Italia and Elaia & Olio in Saint Louis, Missouri, which placed in Wine Enthusiast’s “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants” and Bon Appetit’s “50 Best New Restaurants in America”.
